Sieve box or shoe



(No Model.) 2 sheets sheet 1.

L. G. HOLT.

SIEVE BOX 0R SHOE.

Patented A g 20, 1897. 233.!

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(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. L. G. HOLT.

SIEVE BOX 0R SHOE.

g! Patented Apr. 20, 1897.

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V UNIT D STATES PATENT FFICE.

LYNN o. HOLT, OF ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO SARAH A. HOLT,

or SAME-PLACE.

SIEVE BOX OR SHOQE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 581,118, dated April 20, 1897.

Application filed November 4, 1895. Serial No. 567,809. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, LYNN O. HOLT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Olmsted and State of Minnesota, have. invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sieve Boxes or Shoes; and I do hereby declare-the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to sieve boxes or shoes, and although capable of general application the invention was especially design ed to effect an improvement in shoes used in threshingmachine separators.

It is well known that in threshing-machine separators as now most generally constructed the sieve-shoe is difficult of access for the re moval or insertion of sieves or the adjustment of the same to vary the pitch of the sieves.

My invention has for its object to provide a means whereby the sieves may be angularly adjusted to vary the pitch of the same from the exterior of the shoe without even requiring the machine to be stopped, and a means whereby the sieve ways or guides may be rendered readily accessible for the removal or the insertion of a sieve or sieves.

To these ends my invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention, wherein, like letters referring to like parts-- Figure 1 is a left side elevation of the rear end portion of a threshing-machine separator with. some parts broken away having a shoe constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the shoe detached from the separator. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line X X of Fig. 2, looking outward. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 with some parts broken away and with the locklugs for the delivery ends of the sieves thrown rearward, so as to release the sieve therefrom. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 with the lock-lugs thrown rearward to their limit and the inside frame or sieve-holder lifted upward at its rear end, soas to bring the sieve guides or ways into a difierent plane than the sieve box or shoe. Fig. 6 is a detail in right side elevation looking at the rear end portion of the shoe or sieve box when the parts are in their normal or working position. Fig. '7 is a horizontal section through one wall of the shoe orsieve box and through one of the side plates of the inside sieve-holder on the line X X of Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a vertical section on the line X X of Fig. 7, looking from the left toward the right. Fig. 9 is a detail in perspective with some parts in section and others broken away, illustrating the construction at the forward end of the inside sieve-holder plates, guides, elastic buffers, &c. Fig. lOis a detail in plan view showing the hand-crank for operating the hand-shaft shown in Fig. 2, &c. Fig. 11 is a detail in perspective showing the spring-latch on the tailings fork-head, and Fig. 12 is a section of the parts shown in Fig. 11.

In respect to the threshing-machine separator it is sufficient for present purposes to distinguish the truck-wheels a, the main frame or casing to, the lower or bottom shoe 01. to which the tailings-spout a and the grain-spout a are attached in that type of machine known as the Victory or Minneapolis separator, and the upper or main shoe a and the sliding door a in the casing a for access to the shoe a The said shoes receive shaking motions through any suitable means (not shown) for the proper action of the parts carried thereby. The upper shoe a is of the standard box-like form, open at its top and bottom, and may be taken to represent any outside or main sieve box or shoe which is to be equipped with my improvements for holding and handling the riddles or sieves a To the side walls of the outside shoe or sieve box a I pivotally secure at the points 1), inside and near the forward end of the shoe, a pair of plates 1), which carry the sieve guides, or ways 19 b The side walls of the shoe are provided with grooves or recesses b, as shown best in Figs. 2 and 7, and parts of the plates 5 are cut away from the bodies of the plates, as required, to permit the same to be stamped or forced outward to form tongues I), which work in the grooves 19 and engage behind plates b fixed to the shoe-walls, ad-

jacent to the grooves b and projecting into the same. The said plates 1) are sunk on rabbeted seats, so that their inner surfaces will be flush with the inner surfaces of the shoewalls.

The plates 1) are provided near their rear ends with vertical slots b having a series of horizontal slots b projecting forward therefrom and registering therewith.

The top sieveguide or way I) is formed by an angle-iron which is riveted or otherwise fixed to the plate Z). The other members Z) of the sieve guides or ways are provided at their forward ends with lateral lugs U, projecting outward therefronnthe heads of which are adapted to engage with the vertical slot If and the stems of which are adapted to engage with the horizontal slots b Hence the lateral lugs Z)" may be set to engage with any of the slots 71 for fixing the delivery ends of the sieve guides or ways Z) on the plates 1). The plates 1) are provided near their forward ends with channel-irons (1 fixed thereto,which are provided with vertical slots 7). The sieve ways or guides Z1 are provided at their forward ends with fingers Z1 which work through the vertical slots Z) in the channel-irons b Springs Z) encircle the said lingers between fixed collars Z) thereon and the forward faces of the channel-irons, which springs b operate to yieldingly hold the guides or ways b to their forward limits within the slots U The fingers (1 curve upward and work through holes in the upturned ends of crankarms fixed to rock-shafts b, which are mounted in the shoe direetlyin ward of the head-board of the shoe. The said shafts 7) extend outward beyond one of the shoe-walls and are provided with spring-latch arms I) for engagement with lock-segments h or holes in the shoe-walls to lock the said shafts and crank-arms L in any desired angular adjustment. The latches I)" are accessible, when the shoe is in the separator-trame, through the opening covered by the door a, as shown in Fig.1. Hence with the construction described it is obvious that the forward ends of the sieve guides or ways Uare vertically adjustable at will from the exterior of the shoe to vary the pitch of the sieves a carried thereby. The vertical adjustment of the said guides or ways Z) atthcir rear ends is effected,when the plates Z) are in the posi tion shown in Fig.5, by drawing the said ways rearward against the tension of the springs 11 until the heads of the lug U are brought into registration with the vertical slots b and then shifting the lug b into another member of the horizontal slots b. The means for rocking the plates Z1 into the position shown in Fig. 5 will be described later on.

The sieve guides or ways If are turned upward and backward at their forward ends to form hook-like portions I), which are provided with slots 12 A plunger-head I) is provided with lugs 1P which work in the slots Z2 as guides. The plunger-stein works outward through the end wall of the guidehook and is encircled by a spring b between the said wall of the hook and the plungerhead. This construction affords elastic bufi'ers for the forward ends of the sieves (L7 when supported by the guides or ways Z). A similar elastic buffer 0 U is provided for the upper or fixed way (1* and operates in all respects the same, with the exception that its lugs Z) work in grooves 11 termed one in the guide U and the other in the horizontal top portion of the channel-iron 11 The plates Z; are provided with inwardlyextended and slightly-curved flanges 11* at the lower edges of their rear end. portions. The said flanges 0 form shoe-irons which normally overlie crank-arms 0, fixed to arock-shaft c, journaled in the side walls of the shoe a and extending outward beyond one wall of? the same. To the outwardly-extended end of the shaft 0' is tixcd a rearwardly-projeeting crank-arm 0 which is adapted to be engaged by a cam on the outwardly-extended end of a. hand-shaft c, which is subject to the action of a crankhandle 0 adapted to be applied to the opposite end of the same. The hand-shaft c is provided with a ratchet-wheel c, fixed thereto, with. which normally engages a gravity- Dawl c to lock the said shaft in whatever position it may be set. The said shaft 0" is provided inside the shoe-walls with a pair of eccentrics c, which engage with a pair of yokes or lug-castings e", which are provided on their forward edges with a series of lock lugs or teeth c, which are adapted to engage with the delivery ends of the sieves when the parts are in their normal position, as shown best in Fig. I The said yokes e are provided with slots a engaged by headed studs or bolts 0, fixed to the shoe-walls, as best shown in Figs. 3 and The said yokes c are also provided with outwardly-projecting studs 0 which engage with slots 0, formed in the shoe-walls, as best shown in Figs. it, 5, and t. The said slots 0 and 0 permit a limited forward-and-baekward motion of the said yokes under the action of the eccentric c on the hand-shaft c, and are so shaped. as also to impart to the said yoke. under the eccentric action, a limited tilting or rocking motion, which can be readily understood from an inspection of Figs. -t, and 5.

The cam e" and the eccentrics e are so placed relative to each other on the shaft 0 that in the releasing action for the sieves the eccentrics will first act to throw the yokes from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. t before the cam c" begins to act on the crank-arm c and thereafter the eccentrics c and the cam 0" will con tinue to act together under the continued movement of the hand-shaft 0" until the parts are all thrown into the position shown in Fig. 5. In other words, the lock-lugs c" are first moved away from the delivery ends of the sieves a", so as to release the sieves, and then the rear ends of the plates bare rocked upward to their limit into a position which renders the sieves readily accessible for the desired manipulation, as shown in Fig. 5. In the said Fig. 5 the-two upper sieves are shown as in their Working position within the plates 1), while the lowermost sieve is shown as partly withdrawn by the hand f of an operator. IVhen the proper changes or substitutions have been made in the sieves a or inthe adjustment of the rear end of the sieve guides or ways 6 the reverse motion of the handshaft will first lower the sieve holder or plates 1) into normal position within the shoe and will then, under the eccentric action, force the yokes o forward until the lugs 0 engage with the ends of the sieves to lock the same and all the parts in their normal or working position, as shown in Fig. 3. The elastic buffers on the sieve guides or ways, at their forward ends, serve to cushion the sieves when dropped into place and also serve to cooperate with the lock-lugs 0 on the yoke c to hold the sieves under a slight yielding tension when in their normal position. The outer ends of the teeth or lock-lugs are beveled or rounded, so as to engage and disengage with the sieves with a slight camming action for insuring the desired registration of the said parts when the lock-lugs are moved by the eccentrics into their sieve-locking position.

The yokes c are provided on the inner faces of their forward arms with a series of holes g, with which may be made to engage spring bolts or latches g, carried in keepers g fixed to the ends of the tailings-fork head 9 as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, for holding the tailings-fork in working position at any desired adjustment, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and '5.

It is obvious that the construction above described constitutes a reliable mechanism for holding the sieves in such a way as to render the same readily accessible for adjustment or change whenever so desired and for permitting an angular adjustment of the sieves to vary their pitch to a limited extent withouteven stopping the machine.

By actual usage I have demonstrated the efficiency of this invention for the purposes had in View.

It will of course be understood that minor changes might be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In a broad point of view the plates 1) constitute simply an inside frame or sieve-holder which is adjustable in respect to the outside or main sieve box or shoe for rendering the same accessible for the manipulation of the sieves or sieve-guides, and any mechanism capable of that function would be within the broad principle of my invention.

In respect to the devices for adjusting the forward ends of the sieveways b it should be noted that the fact of the curved fingers 19 working through holes in the ends of the crank-arms Z9 permits freedom of angular movement to the ways 12 with the inside sieveholder or frame formed by the plates b.

What I claim, and desireto secure by Letters Patentof the United States, is as follows:

1. The combination with an outside sieve box or shoe provided with a tail-board or similar transverse part, of an inside sieve-holder adjustably mounted in said box or shoe, a plurality of sieves wholly carried in said holder and means for adjusting said holder with respect to said tail-board so as to permit the sieves to be withdrawn from said holder and shoe, substantially as described.

2. The combination with an outside main sieve box or shoe having fixed transverse parts which, in the operative position of the sieves prevent the endwise removal of the same, of an inside holder for said sieves pivoted to said shoe at its forward end, and a lever operated from the exterior of the shoe to rock the sieve-receiving end of said holder into an angular position, for permitting the endwise removal of the sieves clear of said transverse parts, substantially as described.

3. The combination with an outside main sieve box or shoe, of an inside frame or sieveholder which is adjustable on the main sievebox, for rendering the sieves accessible, and the yokes or blocks provided with lock-lugs adjustably mounted on the box or shoe and operative to lock or release the sieves, substantially as described.

4, The combination with an outside sieve box or shoe, of an inside frame or sieve-holder pivoted to said shoe, at its forward end, sets of lock-lu gs, for the delivery ends of all sieves, adj ustably mounted, on the shoe, for a common movement into and out of engagement with the delivery ends of the sieves, and a hand-shaft with connections for operating said lock-lugs and holder, substantially as described.

5. The combination wit-h a main sieve box or shoe, of an inside frame or sieve-holder adjustable in respect to the shoe, for rendering the same accessible, lock -lugs adjustably mounted on the shoe, for looking or releasing the delivery ends of the sieves, and sieve guides or ways, on said holder, provided with elastic buffers, at their forward ends, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination with a sieve box or shoe, of an inside frame or sieve-holder adjustable in respect to said shoe, for rendering the same accessible to insert or remove the sieves, and sieve guides or ways on said holder which are angularly adjustable in respect thereto, for varying the pitch of the sieves, substantially as described.

7. The combination with an outside sieve box or shoe, of an inside frame orsieve-holder, adjustable in respect to said shoe, for rendering the same accessible to manipulate the sieves, and sieve guides or ways which are vertically adjustable, independently, at their ICS opposite ends, to vary the pitch of the sieves, substantially as described.

8. The combination with the outside box or shoe, of an inside frame or sieve-holder pivoted to the shoe, at its forward end, sieve guides or ways on said holders which are angularly adjustable to vary the pitch of the sieves, adjusting devices for the forward ends of said ways operative from the exterior of the shoe, elastic buffers at the forward ends of said ways, lock-lugs adjustably mounted on the shoe for locking or releasing the delivery ends of the sieves, a hand-shaft and connections from said shaft for operating said lock-lugs and said holder in the proper order, substantially as described.

9. The combination with the outside sieve box or shoe, of the inside frame or sieveholder pivoted to the shoe, a hand-shaft with eccentrics, and the yokes orloek-lug castings adjustably mounted on the shoe and embracing said eccentrics, whereby, under the cocentric action, the lock-lugs may be thrown into or out of engagement with the sieves to lock or release the same, at will, substantially as described.

10. The combination with the shoe d of the plate I) pivoted thereto and having the slots b b and the irons L with slots 1), the ways U with lugs Zr" engageable with the slots b b and having the fingers Z2 working through the slotted irons b the crank-arms Z1 engaging the fingers b and the shafts b carrying said crank-arms and provided with looking devices for securing the same in any desired angular adjustment, substantially as described.

11. The combination with the shoe or of the pivoted plates Z1 carrying the sieve-guides and having the shoe-irons D of the shaft 0 having the arms 0, inside the shoe, engaging under said shoe-irons and provided with the arm 0 outside the shoe, for operating the same, substantially as described.

12. The combination with the shoe, of the inside pivoted frame or sieveholder, the shaft 0 with arms 0 and 0 as described, the shaft 0. with cam c and the eccentrics c, the yokes c embracing said eccentrics and having the lock-lugs 0 the slot-and-pin connections between said yokes and the shoe-walls, the crank-handle c, the ratchet c and the lockpawl 0 all arranged for cooperation, substantially as described.

13. The combination with the shoe a of the plates Z) pivoted to the shoe-walls at Z) and having the tongues b engaging behind the fixed plates I), the ways 11 with lateral lugs Z) engageable with slots b b and having the fingers 11 working through slots 1) in irons U", the shafts b with crank-arms b engaging the fingers I), the shaft 0 with crankarms 0 engageable with the shoe-irons If on the plates Z), the shaft 0 with cams c engaging crank-arm e on the shaft 0, the eccentrics c theyokes c" with lock-lugs c the ratehets c, the crank-handle c and the lockpawl 0 all operating substantially as described.

M. The combination with a sieve box or holder having sieve Ways or guides of elastic buffers, for the sieves, at the forward ends of the sieve ways or guides, and retaining lugs or seats at the rear ends of said sieves cooperating with said elastic buffers to hold said sieves in working position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LYNN (I. HOLT.

\Vitnesses:

T. II. TITUS, JOHN HALL. 

